Where to Win Film Festival Cash Awards: A Guide to Festival $$

Where to Win Film Festival Cash Awards: A Guide to Festival $$

Filmmakers know that finding cash is one of the hardest parts of filmmaking. While some film festivals offer prestige and exposure as their only rewards (think Sundance, Toronto), many smaller festivals offer prizes with cash or in-kind awards — often the first financial return for the filmmakers’ hard work.

With that in mind, indieWIRE has collected information from some of the world’s most important film festivals on what cash prizes they offered in association with their film awards.

By no means is this list exhaustive and as festival budgets and priorities change, so do their prizes and awards. (If you have an update, contact us at editors@indiewire.com.)

What follows is an extensive resource highlighting the past 12 months of film festival cash prizes.

Best First Feature: €50,000 shared between the producer and director of the awarded film.Prizes of the Ecumenical Jury: Main Prize (Amount unspecified) and two prizes, both worth €2,500 each, for a film in the Forum and Panorama competitions.Caligari Film Prize (Forum Competition): €4,000, half of which is given to the director, the other half is meant to fund distribution. Peace Film Award: €5,000Amnesty International Film Prize (Competition, Panorama and Forum Sections): €5,000Femina Film Prize (Outstanding Contribution of a Female Technician in a Feature Film from a German-speaking Country): €2,000.The “Tagesspiegel” Readers’ Jury (Forum Competition): €3,000

Target Filmmaker Award (Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary): $25,000 for each winning film.Grand Jury Prize – Texas | MPS Studios Texas Filmmaker Award: $20,000 in cash, goods and services from MPS Studios for best film in the Texas Competition.Silver Heart Award (Film or Individual): $10,000 cash to an individual or film for their dedication to fighting injustices and/or creating social change for the improvement of humanity.TXU Energy Light Up the Red Carpet (Texas Student Video Competition): $30,000 in prizes for the winning schools and students.

Nespresso Grand Prize for La Semaine de la Critique: €8,000SACD Prize (best screenplay in Semaine de la Critique): €4,000ACID/CCAS Support Award (for French distribution of a film in the Semaine de la Critique competition): €8,000 (€4,000 grant to help French distribution, €4,000 cash)Canal+ Grand Prize For Best Short Film: €6,000 in Panavision Alga Techno equipmentKodak Discovery Award for Short Film: €3,000 in Kodak 35mm filmSFR Prize (most audacious short film): €2,000

DC International Film Festival

The Circle Award: cash prize and an opportunity to be distributed by SnagFilms

Special CINÉ CINÉMA Jury Prize: winning film will be purchased for 30,000 chf and broadcasted on channel CINÉ CINÉMA.Leopard for the Best First Feature: 30,000 chf (shared equally between the director and the producer)Pardino d’oro for the Best International Short Film: 10,000 chfPardino d’oro for the Best Swiss Short Film 10,000 chfPardino d’argento (one Swiss, one international): 12,000 chf worth of Kodak film stockLocarno short film nominee for the European Film Awards: 2,000 chfAction Light Prize for Best Swiss Newcomer: 41,000 chf worth of equipmentCinema e Gioventù Prize – Leopards of Tomorrow (one Swiss film and one international competition): 3,000 chfJunior Jury Awards: First Prize: 6,000 chf; Second Prize: 4,000 chf; Third Prize: 2,000 chfEnvironment is quality of life Prize: 3,000 chfPrix du Public UBS: The winner of the audience prize: 20,000 chfEucumenical Prize: 20,000 chf to be used for Swedish distribution

Los Angeles Film Festival

The Narrative Award: $50,000The Documentary Award: $50,000

Melbourne International Film Festival

Grand Prix for Best Short Film: $7000 Award for Best Australian Short Film: $5000 Award for Emerging Australian Filmmaker: $5000 + airfare to Berlinale Best Fiction Short Film: $3000 Best Documentary Short Film $3000 Best Animation Short Film: $3000 Best Experimental Short Film: $3000

Kutxa-New Directors Award: €90,000Audience Award: €70,000 for the Spanish importer of the winning filmAudience Award for Best European Film: €35,000Horizontes Award: €35,000The Films in Progress Industry Award: funds to help a selected film in post-production produce an English subtitled 35mm copyThe Casa de América Award for Aid (post-production of Latin-American films): €10,000Cinema in Motion awards: €5,000 in aid towards the post-production in France from the CNC (Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée), €15,000 towards sound mixing work at Mac’Tari in Paris, €5,000 towards post-production costs by Dubai International Film Festival, €2,500 to subtitling in French or English from Titra Film, a 35mm print without subtitles from Festival International de Films de Fribourg, a 35mm print without subtitles from Festival International du Film d’AmiensThe International Film Students Meeting Award: €10,000 for Panavision equipment

Sarajevo Film Festival

Heart of Sarajevo for Best Feature Film: €25,000Special Jury Prize: €10,000Heart of Sarajevo for Best Actress: €2,500 Heart of Sarajevo for Best Actor: €2,500Heart of Sarajevo for Best Short Film: €3,000Special Jury Mention (two awards): €1,000Heart of Sarajevo for Best Documentary Film: €3,000Living Pictures Service Award: in-kind support up to €10,000 International Relations Arte Price: financial awards in the amount of €6,000 CNC Award: financial awards in the amount of €10,000Eurimages Award: financial awards in the amount of €30,000 Synchro Film Vienna Award (three awards): lab services in value of €2500 Post Republic Award: in-kind postproduction services worth €80,000Restart Awardin Knd Support: in-kind services worth €20,000Cineuropa Prize: €5,000